


Sing for me (Again)

by ParkJaebum



Category: JJ Project
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 19:52:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12043077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParkJaebum/pseuds/ParkJaebum
Summary: Jinyoung, an unluckly soul who spends his life working, gets more than he bargains for when he goes to audition to sing a song for extra cash, and finds the man whose broad shoulder he fell asleep on during the train ride.





	Sing for me (Again)

Jinyoung could feel himself nodding off, so he took in a deep breath and let it out, adjusted himself in the seat, and turned his music to something more upbeat. It had been a long day of running around trying to find a second part time job while also working his first one that day. He didn’t work tomorrow, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be up at sunrise and off again. He needed money and he’d been doing some pretty gross jobs over the last few months trying to get it. 

Today was a little different though. Today, he wasn’t doing a dirty job. Today, he was sitting on a train and already regretting the cost of the ticket. However, if it paid off, then he was going to make enough money to make that regret go away and also make sure he was able to eat for the next month without the income from the job he did have. He would be able to save some money for the first time in years. 

Still, his day had been exhausting and even over the music, the deep breaths, and the constantly changing positions, he could feel himself wearing out. It wasn’t a surprise when a few minutes later, the train jerked and Jinyoung felt his head bounce off the wall. He rubbed his head, glaring at the wall of the train like it was somehow the walls fault. 

He sat up again when someone sat down next to him and he smiled briefly when their eyes met but he didn’t say anything. The older man had his own set of headphones in and appeared as interested in chatter as Jinyoung was, which was not at all. Unfortunately, that meant that Jinyoung was back to fighting the cloud sleep that loomed in his mind. 

~

He woke up when the train came to its next stop and it took Jinyoung a minute to understand where he was. His head had found the shoulder of the man next to him and realizing it, Jinyoung sat up quickly. He was then surprised to see that while he’d been sleeping, the person next to him had changed. Someone his own age sat in that seat now. 

“I’m so sorry…” Jinyoung’s voice cut out as the announcement about the stop blared over his head. “What!” he shouted, getting up and grabbing his bag. 

“I’m sorry!” he called again, bowing slightly as he rushed to get off the train. It was only as he had his feet on the ground and looked around did he think about the man who he’d been sleeping on. He hadn’t shoved him aside, he hadn’t yelled at him, and he had even smiled when Jinyoung had looked up to apologize. 

Walking out of the train station, Jinyoung looked around; his heart beat that had just calmed down picking back up. He hadn’t been listening to the announcement and had gotten off the train a stop early. Jinyoung took a deep breath and let it out. Why was his life like this? 

“You have to get there, Jinyoung,” he told himself as he looked into his wallet to see how much money he had. “Even if you have to run, you have to get there.” 

~

Running, unfortunately, did end up being a majority of what Jinyoung had to do in order to make it. He didn’t have much money, so another ticket was off the table. Even if he’d had enough, there wasn’t a train that would get him there in time. So he’d done the next thing he could think of. Got into a cab, went as far as that cab would take him with the cash he had, and then he ran. Running was something Jinyoung was quite used to doing. 

He realized upon arrival that he could have walked and probably have made it from the wrong train stop because there was still at least ten applicants standing along a wall when he got there. They looked more put together and less covered in sweat and dirt than he did and that almost made him think about turning right around and going home, except he sort of needed this. Instead, he found a restroom to comb his hair and splashed some water on his face. 

After that, he returned to the line and reached into his bag to pull out the song he would be singing. He knew it by heart. It had been something his dad had sung to him when he was little. That was before the accident that had turned him bitter and before his Mom had gotten sick to turn that bitterness into its own sickness. It was bittersweet and made him both happy and sad and always resulted in him crying while singing it. It was, Jinyoung knew, the only song that he could sing well enough to even have a chance. 

It was nearly an hour before his turn came up and he walked into the studio. He could see two people through the glass and a third that was sitting and facing away from him with a pair of headphones on. The older man in the front spoke to him and after a short exchange, Jinyoung could hear the music of the song start. He was nervous, so nervous, but as soon as the song began he connected with it in that way he always did. 

“Stop.” 

Jinyoung’s eyes opened and he looked forward. The man that was sitting and facing away was talking to the other man. After they exchanged some words, the older man reached forward and moved some of the dials on the sound board. “Please start again at the beginning.” 

Jinyoung swallowed again and began as the music started. He made it almost all the way through the song before the call came again. 

“Stop.” 

The man from before leaned back, listening to the other man. It was clear at this point in the process that the man in the back was making the decisions. What confused Jinyoung, was why he was facing the opposite direction? 

“Do you have any other songs prepared?” 

“I...uh, no,” Jinyoung answered. 

“None at all?” The man from the back. “You came to an audition and only prepared one song?” 

“I didn’t think…” Jinyoung paused. He’d read the directions and it had said to prepare a song, _one_ song. “It only said I needed one song so I only prepared one song,” Jinyoung said, finding his voice against this man. “If you wanted another song, you should have mentioned that.” 

“I don’t need to mention it,” the man said. “When people do auditions, they know they need to have a backup song. Why don’t you know that?” 

“Because I’ve never done an audition before,” Jinyoung answered.

“Never?” 

“No,” Jinyoung answered. 

It was quiet after that and Jinyoung didn’t know if he was being dismissed or not until the man facing away spoke again. “Start again.” 

“What?” Jinyoung asked, staring at the back of his head. 

“Since you don’t have something else prepared, start again.” 

Jinyoung took a deep breath and let it out. _Just do it, Jinyoung. You need this._

He waited for the music to start and it had an amazing effect on him. He closed his eyes and the indignant man facing away from him disappeared. He was allowed to finish the song this time and when wet eyes opened at the end, the man was no longer sitting and facing away from him. 

“You…” Jinyoung’s voice trailed off as his eyes widened. He looked down, panicking as he tried to think of something to say. He had seriously thought his bad luck had run out for the day, but looking up now, he saw the same man from the train earlier. The easy smile wasn’t there, though. He was instead leaning forward on the board and looking straight at him. 

“You?” he asked. “Is there something you want to say to me?” 

Jinyoung swallowed and took a deep breath and met the gaze evenly. “I’m not a weirdo,” he said, surprising himself. “I don’t usually fall asleep on people on trains. I just haven’t been sleeping much.” 

Jinyoung waited and was surprised when the easy smile he’d glimpsed on the train came over the man’s face. “Is that what you want me to know?” he asked. 

“Yes,” Jinyoung answered. 

“You don’t maybe want me to know that you’re capable of singing the song I wrote? You don’t want me to know that you can arrive on time for recording, despite getting off at the wrong stop? You don’t want to insist that you’ll work hard even though you didn’t come in fully prepared? You just want me to know that you’re not a weirdo with a habit of falling asleep on people on trains?” 

Jinyoung smiled ruefully. “I suppose I should have said at least one of those things.” 

“Maybe,” the man across from him answered. He stood there a minute, his gaze narrowed at Jinyoung. At least, he thought his gaze was narrowed. It was sort of hard to tell from Jinyoung’s position.  
“Recording is on Wednesday. I’ll send you an email with the mp3 and the lyrics. Familiarize yourself with it and be prepared to sing it for me then.” 

“What?” Jinyoung asked, eyes wide as he looked up. The man there had moved away from the glass and was moving back to where he’d been sitting when Jinyoung arrived. He didn’t seem to hear Jinyoung or maybe he’d just quit paying attention at this point. He was opening a folder and talking to the third man in the room. 

The other man moved towards the door and waved Jinyoung to exit the recording booth. He met him outside and handed him a paper. “Read this over, sign it and bring it on Wednesday. It’s a contract stating what is expected of you from here on out, including all dates, times and locations you need to be present. Which as far as I know is Wednesday at four pm for the next six weeks.” 

Jinyoung took the paper, feeling a bit numb by the entire process. He’d actually gotten it? “But...” he started, the other man stopping in his directions and looking up at Jinyoung. 

“You probably feel like you won some lottery, but working with Jaebum can be an outright nightmare. He’s somewhat of a perfectionist and gets wrapped up in projects to the point he forgets that people have lives outside of it. If you can’t handle that, then don’t sign that contract.” 

Jinyoung nodded even though he knew there was no way he could not sign the contract now that it was in his hands. He needed the money that came with this contract. He thanked the man and together, they walked out the of the recording area. 

~

Leaving an hour later, Jinyoung allowed himself to smile as he made his way back to the train station. He had gotten the job! “Yes!” he shouted suddenly, startling the people passing on the road. He apologized, bowing towards them and continuing down the road. He walked slowly, not rushed for the first time in weeks because he wasn’t running around for a job, he wasn’t rushing around trying to find additional work and he wasn’t trying to squeeze all his own errands in between all that. It felt strange not to be rushed so he looked at his watch. And then started running. 

~

He made it back to the train station in enough time to climb on board his train at the last minute. He sat down, a small laugh falling from his lips. He should have known better really, to think he had any time to spare for walking. Sitting down, he relaxed as he had before but the idea of sleeping was far from his mind now. Instead, thoughts began to creep in about the audition and Jinyoung found himself leaning forward and placing his head in his hands. How was it that the person he’d fallen asleep on had ended up being the exact person who had judged the audition?

 _It didn’t matter,_ he reminded himself. He had gotten the part. Now, now he had to worry about things like how he was going to get all the way to the studio again on Wednesday. He wondered if he called them if they would front the payment? Jinyoung sighed, realizing his money trouble wasn’t put on hold anymore because he’d succeeded at the audition. Now, he had to be able to afford to get to the job. Jinyoung sighed for the seven-thousandth time that day. It looked like he’d be up with the sun searching for another part time job after all. 

~~~

Jaebum hated this part of his job. Writing lyrics and music, composing something out of nothing, those were the parts he liked. The parts he didn’t like was when it came time to find someone to sing those songs because the people who tried were never good enough. That was probably why he’d procrastinated going to the studio. 

Sure, he could compose songs and submit them to this company or another and some idol would sing his song. There were some good ones, really good ones, but the problem with that was his songs always seemed to start as one thing and become something else entirely. He’d done it before and he’d ended up hating the thing he created. So he didn’t do that anymore. At least, he didn’t do that right now. 

Instead, he wrote a song and then sought out some unknown to sing the song. Sometimes, that unknown became something great and other times, they became just a person on a cd collection or an OST album, but his songs never suffered any more. This process of doing what he loved though, was leaving him quite broke and it was only because of connections he’d made that he was even able to keep doing it. This one might very well be his last song before he was forced to go back a music company and write for them. Which company would it be this time? 

He’d been pondering over that when a head had fallen on his shoulder. Jaebum looked over at the sleeping man. He could have been one of the rude people that pushed the man’s head away or moved to cause him to wake up, but Jaebum had been in that position more times than he could remember. It was usually a bus instead of a train, but the prospect was the same; sometimes life was hard and you just fell asleep wherever you were. As long as he didn’t drool, then it would be fine. 

Jaebum went back to his debate about what company to go to this time when the train jerked and the man next to him did as well, panic coming over his face quickly as he realized he’d been sleeping on someone. His apology was cut off as his eyes somehow got even wider as the announcement was made and he hurried to apologize and run off the train. Jaebum smiled and it was only after the man ran off that it occurred to him as to why. 

_He was adorable._

~

Thirty-three people had come this time and despite being turned away from them, Jaebum recognized some of them from having been to these before. They’d been rejected for reasons Jaebum could remember almost immediately as they began to sing one song or the next. He had three people he was considering, and that was a term to use loosely, and only three to go when one of them actually caught his attention enough that instead of focusing on his thoughts, he listened to the sound of his voice. 

He realized the music was a problem for hearing the man’s voice early on and after commanding the man to start again, had Hyunwoo cut the music out of his headphones so he could just hear the man’s voice. It was shaky in the beginning, but beyond that, it was absolutely beautiful. Jaebum wanted, no, he _needed_ this man to sing his song. 

“Do you have any other songs prepared?” Jaebum asked. He wondered if like many other people, this man could sing this song well and that was all or if he were actually capable of singing all songs this way. If he could... Jaebum pushed that thought away. He could think about that later. 

“I...uh, no,” he answered. 

“None at all?” Jaebum asked, almost spinning his chair around to stare at him. “You came to an audition and only prepared one song?” 

“I didn’t think…” he answered. “It only said I needed one song so I only prepared one song. If you wanted another song, you should have mentioned that.” 

Jaebum smiled despite the sass in the man’s voice. “I don’t need to mention it,” he said. “When people do auditions, they know they need to have a backup song. Why don’t you know that?” 

“Because I’ve never done an audition before.” 

“Never?” Jaebum asked, wondering if he’d been able to hide the astonishment in his voice. Most people who hadn’t done auditions were out of key and stood too close to the mic so the sound came out wrong, but this one hadn’t at all. It had felt like someone who had done this before.

“No,” Jinyoung answered. 

Jaebum debated what to do now. He was disappointed that there was no other song to sing and he wasn’t quite ready to let this one leave. “Start again,” he decided. 

“What?” 

“Since you don’t have something else prepared, start again.” 

Jaebum waited until the chorus before he spun around in the chair and stood up. Surprise crossed his face before a soft smile came back to his lips as he realized the man before him and the one that had been the adorable one from the train was the same. He supposed, that somehow made him even more adorable. 

He watched him as he sang the song, watching his face for the subtle little changes that most singers had but might not even be aware of it. There was always something and this time was the same. By the time the song ended and the man’s eyes had opened, he’d managed to lose the smile so he could appear professional again.  
“You…” 

“You?” Jaebum asked. “Is there something you say want to say to me?” Jaebum watched him intently, wondering what it was that was behind that. Did this man remember him? Their exchange had been so short and he’d been in a rush to get off the train.

“I’m not a weirdo,” he said. “I don’t usually fall asleep on people on trains. I just haven’t been sleeping much.” 

Jaebum smiled despite himself, some small part of him pleased that this man remembered their exchange as well. “Is that what you want me to know?” he asked. 

“Yes,” he answered. 

“You don’t maybe want me to know that you’re capable of singing the song I wrote? You don’t want me to know that you can arrive on time for recording, despite getting off at the wrong stop? You don’t want to insist that you’ll work hard even though you didn’t come in fully prepared? You just want me to know that you’re not a weirdo with a habit of falling asleep on people on trains?” Jaebum asked, for the first time wondering if this was at all important to the other man. If it wasn’t something he would take seriously, Jaebum didn’t want him singing his song. But how was he even going to be able to tell?

“I suppose I should have said at least one of those things.” 

“Maybe,” Jaebum answered. He stood there a minute, his gaze narrowed as he considered it. He had been in a rush when he’d thought he was at his stop, so maybe Jaebum should give him a chance?  
“Recording is on Wednesday. I’ll send you an email with the mp3 and the lyrics. Familiarize yourself with it and be prepared to sing it for me then.” 

“What?” 

Jaebum didn’t respond to him, going instead over to the folder that held this man’s information in it. It wasn’t a lot, but it did have one piece of information Jaebum wanted to know. /Jinyoung./

~~~

“That isn’t right. Start again.” 

Jinyoung took a deep breath and glanced at his watch. It was already eight pm and at this rate, he was not going to be able to take the train home. At this rate, he was going to be recording this song for the rest of his life. _At least you have something pretty to look at. Even if he is an ass._

Jinyoung had worked for some pretty terrible people over the course of his life, but none of them were quite like Im Jaebum. He’d been told he was a perfectionist before signing the contract, but there was something more to it than that. It wasn’t just that he wanted the song to be perfect, he wanted Jinyoung’s vocal cords to never work again. Of that, Jinyoung was sure as he started the song over for what had to be the nine thousandth time. 

“Again.” 

Jinyoung was maybe two lines in when it came again. He looked over at Jaebum who was looking down and Jinyoung wondered if he was even paying attention to Jinyoung’s singing at all. He couldn’t see what it was that had Jaebum’s focus, but he knew it wasn’t him. Well, if Jaebum wasn’t even going to pay attention, why should Jinyoung sing his song. He thought it over a minute before choosing a different set of lyrics to sing. “Sing with me, sing for the year, sing with the laughter sing for the…”

“What are you doing?” The words were heavy with disapproval.

Jinyoung looked back over at Jaebum, continuing the Aerosmith song. “Sing with me, just for today. Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away.” He stopped singing and looked at Jaebum squarely. “Because you’re an asshole,” he said. 

Jaebum stared at him and Jinyoung was getting the feeling that this was the moment that he was going to be fired. He’d clearly been messing up all night and now he’d let his own personality get the best of him. 

“Dream on,” Jaebum answered and Jinyoung was relieved to see a slight twitch in his lips. “Alright,” he said and sighed. “You need a break. You could have just said that.” 

Jinyoung took the set of headphones off and set them down before turning and leaving the studio. He walked out the door and was surprised when Jaebum met him in the hallway, handing him a fresh bottle of water. “Actually, I need to leave soon. The last train…”

“I’ll give you a ride home,” Jaebum answered. 

“But I have a ticket…” 

“Exchange it,” Jaebum answered. “I’m not able to pick you up to get here because I arrive much earlier than you do, but I’ll always be able to take you home.” 

“Look, I can’t just afford train tickets on a whim like you can…” Jinyoung stopped as Jaebum’s laughter filled the small hallway. “What?” Jinyoung asked, confused. “Why are you laughing?”

“Wait until I take you home, Jinyoung. Once you see what I’m driving you’ll realize how funny that statement is.” 

Jaebum left him then and Jinyoung stared at him as he left, a glare on his face as he looked at him. He didn’t really know where to go, so he wandered around the building and found himself on the roof. The man from the first day who had offered him the contract, Hyunwoo, was up there. He was holding a cigarette, but it appeared as though he were just letting it burn as opposed to actually smoking it. 

“Come for a smoke?” Hyunwoo asked. 

Jinyoung shook his head. “I can barely afford food, let alone a useless habit like that.”

Hyunwoo nodded, “I quit two years ago,” he explained. “But it’s easier to blame an addictive habit on why you’re cranky and need to leave the room as opposed to saying you need away from a person.”

“Jaebum?” Jinyoung asked, knowing the feeling already. 

“He’s one, yes. Have you gotten very far on the recording?” 

Jinyoung shook his head. “I’d like to just blame him, but something about the song seems off.”

Hyunwoo nodded again. “It’s personal,” he said. “This song means a lot to Jaebum and it should be one he sings.”

“Then why doesn’t he?” Jinyoung asked. “If it’s so important to him…”

“He can’t,” Hyunwoo said and Jinyoung saw the change on his face immediately. “He had a surgery about six years ago and he can’t sing now. He tries to pretend that it doesn’t bother him but it does. Those lyrics, if you know what you’re looking for, they tell you about the real Jaebum more than interacting with him will. I think you just need to connect with that. Once you do, the song won’t feel so strange.” 

“You’ve known him a while then?” Jinyoung asked as he leaned against the edge of the building. 

“Since I was nine,” Hyunwoo answered. “You should probably head down and eat something. It will be hours before he realizes time is passing again.” 

Jinyoung sighed as he pushed off the walls. “I haven’t known him long and yet, that fact I’ve already picked up on from being around him.”

He did follow Hyunwoo’s advice, going down the stairs and locating the food that he had learned would be there. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was food that he did not have to pay for and that made it exceptional in his book. 

~

“You can just drop me off here,” Jinyoung said. They were still several blocks from his home, but he was pretty sure he was going to die in Jaebum’s car. It was old and he was pretty sure that it had been duck tape that was holding the bumper on. The car had backfired as they had pulled away and Jinyoung had instantly put his seatbelt on. He wondered now if that was a wise move. He didn’t want to be stuck in the car if it spontaneously caught on fire. 

“It’s late. I’m not dropping you off this far from home,” Jaebum insisted, showing no notion of slowing down or stopping. 

“If we keep going in this thing, I may never make it home,” Jinyoung muttered. He heard Jaebum snicker beside him but he didn’t say anything. Jinyoung’s hand tightened on the door as the car made another noise that was unfamiliar to him. 

When they finally reached his place, Jaebum pulled the car to a stop. “I’m going in late next week so I’ll pick you up.” 

“I’m perfectly fine with taking the train,” Jinyoung commented, trying to get out of the death trap as quickly as possible. 

“But can you afford it?” Jaebum asked. Jinyoung paused as he got out and shut the door. He leaned forward and peered at Jaebum through the open window. “I will figure out a way,” he didn’t say another word as he turned around and walked towards his apartment. He felt safe for the first time since they'd left the studio. If only Jaebum had allowed him to accomplish something today.

Jinyoung sighed as he let himself in. If only Jinyoung had been able to speak to Hyunwoo before today and had been able to connect with the lyrics somehow. As it was, he’d not even had a chance to read over them again before he’d been back in the studio. 

Sitting down inside, he pulled the song back out. “Okay,” he said, staring at the words on the page. “I am a singer who can’t sing anymore.” It was all the information that Hyunwoo had given him, so it was what he had to go with. “What would these words mean to me in that situation?” 

~

Jaebum had dropped Jinyoung off and then taken the mile ride to his own apartment. It appeared in every way the opposite of his car. It was nice, small and very clean but when most of your money was going into keeping the place you lived, something had to suffer. That thing was his car and honestly, he was nearly through needing it at all. He’d be able to return to a life of mass transportation soon enough. That, he felt confident in. 

He pulled an apple from the fridge before he went into his study, a small room that had a keyboard on one side, a shelf with more CDs than anyone needed to own on the other and a cd player sat on a desk on the third wall. Only the door remained on the fourth wall and going in, he pulled out the recording from earlier in the night. He’d been disappointed with the work tonight and he’d known it had shown. 

Setting the apple down, he pulled on the headphones and put the disk in, listening to what he and Jinyoung had been able to accomplish. It wasn’t much. It wasn’t even through the first chorus. Jinyoung knew the words, he was matching the tempo, but there was something significant missing from the song.

“Was I wrong?” he asked the empty room. As if on cue, a cat jumped into his lap and pressed her face against his. He wasn’t sure if she was comforting him because yes, he had made a mistake or reassuring him that he wasn’t wrong. Rubbing her ears, he sighed as he started the song over. 

~

“Start again,” Jaebum said. He was staring down at a page in front of him. From his place on the other side of the glass, Jinyoung glared at him. He had been here for three hours and once again, was making it no further than the chorus. Perhaps it was because even though he’d tried to connect with the lyrics the way Hyunwoo had suggested, he was having a hard time imagining this tyrant of a boss as someone who had lost something precious to him. _If_ singing was even that precious to him to begin with. 

“No,” Jinyoung answered and that seemed to get Jaebum’s attention as he looked up and met his gaze. 

“No?” Jaebum asked, staring at Jinyoung as he stood up from his chair. 

“No,” Jinyoung repeated, but he had to admit, the strength with which the word had come out the first time had seemed to slip. “I’m going to sing the song, in its completion and if you still don’t like it, then you can sing the damn thing yourself!” 

Jinyoung waited, recognizing already the look on Jaebum’s face as one of contemplation. It was their third week and he knew when Jaebum was thinking, he did this weird half bite thing with his lips. Jinyoung knew as he had that thought that maybe he was paying too close attention to that part of Jaebum’s body. Still, he watched them now as he waited for Jaebum’s response. 

“Okay,” he agreed. “Sing the entire song.” 

Jinyoung nodded as Jaebum sat back down, pulling on the headphones on the desk. Jinyoung knew there would be no music inside those headphones, just the sound of his voice singing the song and it made him instantly nervous. Worse, Jaebum hadn’t returned his attention to the folder in front of him. Instead, Jaebum was watching him. 

It didn’t matter though, he told himself as he waited for the song to start. He kept his eyes on the lyrics, knowing the ones at the beginning well enough since he’d sang them over and over. The ones after the chorus, though he’d memorized them, he was less familiar with. Still, Jaebum didn’t interrupt. He didn’t stop him even when Jinyoung knew he’d messed up. He never looked away from him and even when Jinyoung had sung the entire song, he still didn’t say a word. 

“Well?” Jinyoung asked when he could take the silence no more. 

“Well,” Jaebum answered, his eyes never leaving Jinyoung as more silence passed. “You’re really not good at this but you have a beautiful voice. I think I may have been too rash in my decision to have you do this.” 

Jinyoung stared at Jaebum a moment before he put the papers down and turned, leaving the studio. He was surprised when he opened the door and Hyunwoo was standing there with a smile on his face. 

“Turn around,” Hyunwoo said, putting his hand on Jinyoung’s arm and turning him back around. The door shut behind Jinyoung and he was left there in the studio, Jaebum’s gaze on him again. 

He didn’t want to do this anymore. He could find some other way to make money. He wasn’t a singer, had no intention of pursuing anything like that, so why should he let some asshole talk to him like that?

“Start again,” Jaebum repeated and when Jinyoung looked up this time, Jaebum’s gaze was down, the headphones covered only one ear and there was a pen in his hand. Jinyoung sighed, moved back to the microphone and picked up the page with the lyrics. 

~~

“Good morning, Jinyoung.” 

Jinyoung had opened his door barely awake. Which made sense seeing as how he’d been awake until three and it was barely six now. “What do you want?” 

Jaebum only smiled at him. “Let’s go for a walk.” 

“I don’t want to,” Jinyoung answered. 

“A drive then?” Jaebum asked. 

Jinyoung glared at him. “I’m only supposed to see you on Wednesdays,” he said. “It is Thursday. Go away.” 

“We only have one Wednesday left together and we’re not even close to completing the song I need you to have done. So what am I to do but bother you every day until it is?” 

Jinyoung looked at him, turning away from the door and walking back into his apartment. He left the door open and Jaebum came in. Jinyoung found his couch, falling face down back onto it. Had five weeks really passed already? 

“What do you want?” he asked, turning his face to look at him. Somewhere in his mind, he began to worry about things like the fact that he was in the clothes Jaebum had last seen him in and he probably hadn’t cleaned up the dishes from his makeshift dinner the night before. 

Jaebum had sat down in the chair across from him and was looking at the pages to the song on the table. Jinyoung watched him pick one up and look at it. Jinyoung knew his own chicken scratch was on it, notes about where the pitch changed or even when he needed to take a breath. 

“I was going to come over and ask if you needed a vocal coach,” Jaebum answered, that look on his lips again. 

“I had one growing up,” Jinyoung explained but said nothing else beyond that. Going into the why and how was not something he wanted to share with Jaebum. Plus, it wasn’t something that had lasted that long and Jinyoung only realized that he’d retained as much as he had when he’d sat down with the lyrics. 

“You seem to have the song planned out vocally,” Jaebum answered. “So why are we having so many issues recording it.” 

“Because I’m not good enough for you,” Jinyoung answered. Jaebum looked at him then and Jinyoung held his gaze. 

Jaebum nodded a second later and looked down. “I guess you’re not wrong.”

Jinyoung yawned and rolled onto his side. “It’s not all your fault, though. It would help if I didn’t get nervous while singing in front of you.” 

“Why do you get nervous?” Jaebum asked, surprise crossing his face. 

“I did some research after Hyunwoo said some things to me. Do you know what can still be found online? Pre-surgery Im Jaebum,” Jinyoung said.

“That was a long time ago,” Jaebum said. 

“It was,” Jinyoung agreed. “You were good though, far better than I could even dream of being. Plus,” Jinyoung continued. “I fell asleep on you and no matter how much I try, I can’t seem to forget that.” 

“Neither can I,” Jaebum said and smiled softly at Jinyoung. It was the same smile from that first day and one that was difficult to catch a glimpse of when they were in the studio. 

“Okay,” Jaebum said, stacking the pages together. “We’re going to go to breakfast and then take a walk and then you’re going to sing for me.” 

“I can’t go to the studio today,” Jinyoung said, not even bothering to sit up. “I have to work tonight and I’ve only slept three hours.” 

“I didn’t say anything about going to the studio,” Jaebum said. 

Jinyoung looked at him and noticed that look again. What could possibly be going through his head right now? 

“What time do you work?” Jaebum asked. 

“Four.” 

“Then I’ll be back at two, with food. After we eat, we can take a walk and then you can sing for me.” 

Jinyoung watched him get up and leave then. His hand reached out for his phone so he could set an alarm for one. If nothing else, he was not going to be seen in these clothes again. He realized there was anticipation in his gut and knew that would cause him trouble with the entire going back to sleep thing. He was wrong though because not ten minutes later, Jinyoung had fallen back to sleep. 

~

Jaebum returned at two, a bag of food in hand and when Jinyoung answered the door this time, he was freshly showered and in different clothing. He still managed to look a little tired, but he was in better shape than he’d been in when Jaebum had come by this morning. 

Setting the food out on the table, Jinyoung disappeared and returned a few seconds later with two glasses of water. “What did you mean about me singing for you?” Jinyoung asked him. 

“Later,” Jaebum answered. “Sit. Eat.” 

“It’s so nice to see that you’re so commanding in all aspects of your life. Even outside the studio you just bark orders.” 

“Well, since you’re technically under contract with me for the next six days, why would I act any differently?” Jaebum asked. 

“Because you’re in my apartment.” 

“And yet I’m still your boss and still older than you,” Jaebum answered. He watched Jinyoung roll his eyes before they turned their attention to the food.

~

“I really don’t have a lot of time…” 

“You have an hour and twenty-two minutes and the walk to where we’re going is only going to take ten minutes. 

“But it looks like it’s going to rain…” 

“I have an umbrella,” Jaebum answered, holding it up for Jinyoung to see. “Now let’s go.”

The walk was filled with more reasons as to why Jinyoung did not need to head in the _opposite_ direction of his job but Jaebum had already stopped listening. Instead, he was making sure that once they entered the park, he took the right path that would lead them up the hill. When they arrived, the complaint Jinyoung had been about to launch died on his lips. 

“It’s beautiful,” he commented. “I didn’t even know this was here.” 

“Most people don’t,” Jaebum answered. “It sits too far away from the park for most people to accidentally pass it and the hill is too steep for most people to bother.” They were on a small hill that sat on the far side of the park. There was a path up the hill that people could follow, but because of how steep it was, it wasn’t really ideal for anyone but the young and strong. The cement path itself was broken, almost as if it was a waste of time to repair it. 

When Jaebum had first discovered it, there had been an old broken bench on the top and with a lot of struggling on his part, he’d managed to get a new one up here. The hill looked out on the park and the way the sun was touching it now, made the entire area a beautiful sea of green. When the sun set in a few hours, it would be even more beautiful, but Jaebum wasn’t going to be able to show that to Jinyoung. Not today anyway. 

Jaebum moved to the bench to sit down on it, watching Jinyoung as he moved forward as well. “Now, it’s time for you to sing,” Jaebum said, and Jinyoung whirled around towards him. 

“I’m gonna what now?” 

“Sing my song, Jinyoung,” Jaebum answered. “I’m hoping maybe a different atmosphere will give you a bit more confidence and if it does, you can take that confidence back into the studio with you.” 

“But what if someone hears?” Jinyoung asked.

Jaebum laughed softly as he looked out at the park. “I’ve come here dozens of times and never been bothered one time. The only person who is going to hear you is me.” 

“Oh, good,” Jinyoung said sarcastically. “I’m going to guess it’s useless to complain about the lack of music, too?” 

“It’s not like I listen to you sing with the music anyway, but if you need it…” Jaebum pulled his phone out, selecting the music to the song and set his phone down. A few moments later, the first notes began to play and Jaebum expected another reason to come out of Jinyoung’s mouth. Instead, it was the lyrics that came out. 

Jaebum watched Jinyoung sing a second before his eyes closed as he listened to him. He didn’t interrupt him as he was prone to doing when they were in the studio. He didn’t even mentally note when it was that Jinyoung was messing up, he just let him sing the song. When it ended, he opened his eyes and Jinyoung was looking at him expectantly. 

“Let’s try something else,” Jaebum said, picking his phone back up. He filtered through the songs and found the one he wanted. “Sing this,” Jaebum said, pressing play and putting the phone back down. 

“How am I…” Jinyoung’s question evaporated as recognition of the song played across his face. Jaebum watched him again, keeping his eyes open even as Jinyoung’s own eyes closed. When it was finished, he didn’t miss that there was wetness in Jinyoung’s eyes. 

“Tell me about that song,” Jaebum said. “Why is the song you auditioned with so important to you? 

“I’d rather not,” Jinyoung said. “It’s just a grim tale of a harsh life.” 

Jaebum nodded in understanding. “When you sing that song, you put yourself into it, Jinyoung. It’s something so beautiful and that’s why you caught my attention at the audition. That was exactly what I wanted you to do with the song I wrote.” 

“But I don’t have any connection to your song. It’s your story,” Jinyoung said, looking almost ashamed. 

“I know,” Jaebum said, “but if my story is going to be heard as beautifully as I imagined, we’re going to have to figure out a way for you to tell it.” 

~~~

“Good morning, Jinyoung.” 

Jinyoung glared at the other side of his door, Jaebum showing up for the second day in a row. At least this time he’d waited until noon. 

“Do you work today?” Jaebum asked.

Jinyoung considered lying but instead shook his head and returned to his couch in much the same way he had the day before. “What do you want?” he asked, his words muffled by the couch. 

“Get up and shower,” Jaebum told him. “We’re going out!” 

“Out?” Jinyoung asked, his eyes opening and his gaze turning towards Jaebum. “Don’t you know the fee for getting me out of the house is food?” 

“There will be food. Now get moving. We have a date!” 

Jinyoung groaned, but climbed off the couch and went to his room to change. Somehow the word ‘date’ crept back into his mind and Jinyoung stepped back out of his room and looked Jaebum over. 

“What?” Jaebum asked. 

“Just figuring out how to dress,” Jinyoung answered. Jaebum was in jeans and a simple button down blue shirt, so fancy was out. 

“Dress however you're comfortable,” Jaebum called back. “But hurry up!” 

“The patience meant to go to this man must have ended up somewhere else,” Jinyoung grumbled, pulling on his own set of jeans and a sweater. 

~

“Where are we going?” Jinyoung asked as he fell into step with Jaebum. 

Jaebum shrugged, “I don’t know. What do you feel like eating?” 

Jinyoung stopped on the sidewalk and looked at him. “You told me to hurry but you have no destination in mind?” 

Jaebum nodded and a soft smile crossed his lips. “I’m hungry.”

Jinyoung started walking again and this time, he had his destination in mind. If Jaebum didn’t have an actual plan, then Jaebum was about to buy him chicken.

~

“Do I even want to know what you don’t have planned after this?” Jinyoung asked, wiping the last bits of chicken from his fingers. He was full and he felt happier than he had in awhile. Chicken was a rare treat on his budget. 

“I actually do have a plan after this. Sort of,” Jaebum answered and as the two of them left and headed down the road, Jinyoung began to ask questions about it, but all Jaebum would do was smile. 

Jinyoung looked up when the theatre came into view. “We’re seeing a movie?” Jinyoung asked and Jaebum nodded. “I can’t…”

“I’m paying,” Jaebum interrupted, taking a hold of Jinyoung’s arm and pulling him towards the building. “Do you have something you want to see?” 

Jinyoung stared at the selections. “I don’t even know what half of those are,” he admitted. “I think I was eleven the last time I went to see a movie.”

“Seriously?” Jaebum asked, looking over at him. 

Jinyoung nodded. “Why don’t you just pick one? You probably know more about them than I do.” 

Jinyoung looked around while Jaebum paid for the tickets and then they headed towards the theatre with their movie. Sitting down, Jinyoung smiled softly. “You’re spoiling me today. I don’t know how I’m going to go back to ramen and the radio after this.” 

“You should make time to eat good food and get out and do something different once in awhile. Even if you have to plan it six weeks in advance and save change in order to get to do it. If you don’t, you’re just living the daily routine.” 

“Is that how we’re here?” Jinyoung asked, looking over at Jaebum. “Couch change?” 

“If I say yes, how would you feel about that?” Jaebum asked, brows raised at Jinyoung. 

“But, you don’t…” Jinyoung stared at him, wondering for the first time what exactly Jaebum’s financial status was. He had paid him to sing, but that _car_ had been in terrible shape. “Why?” Jinyoung asked. “You could have done this twice if I wasn’t with you. I could have chosen a different place to eat…”

Jaebum laughed, cutting him off. “I’m not using couch change to pay for this,” he said. “But it would be worth it if I’d had to. Maybe you won’t be so nervous around me if you see more than the asshole you work with.” 

Jinyoung flushed and looked away, remembering how little he’d thought of Jaebum in the beginning. Well, really his personality still rubbed him wrong most days but he was gaining an understanding of Jaebum the longer he knew him. Plus, there was the desire to stare at him when Jaebum wasn’t looking that Jinyoung had realized he’d been doing the last two weeks. “I didn’t mean that.” 

“You did,” Jaebum stated. “Most people think it. You just happened to vocalize it.” 

“Well,” Jinyoung said as the screen in front of them changed and the room darkened. “You are paying me for my voice.” 

~~~

Jinyoung walked into the studio, a little saddened to know this was his last day here. It wasn’t like it had any real pleasant memories. In fact, he was spending far too many hours here that he was wondering if the pay balanced out for the number of hours worked. Still, he had to do well today because if he didn’t, then he wouldn’t be fulfilling his part of the agreement. If he didn’t do well today, then he’d let Jaebum down and after their conversations this week, he found he really didn’t want to do that. 

Looking up through the glass, he was surprised to see Hyunwoo wave at him. “You can start when you’re ready,” Hyunwoo told him. 

“Where’s Jaebum?” Jinyoung asked. 

“His car broke down,” Hyunwoo explained. “He said he was going to take the train so he should be here soon enough.” 

Jinyoung smiled, not at all surprised that such a thing had occurred when he considered the state of the car. Still, he’d wanted to show Jaebum how much he’d practiced and how he was going to get it this time. _He’ll be here soon_ , he reminded himself, starting the song. 

It was four hours later when Hyunwoo stopped him. “Jinyoung, we’re only going to be able to go through this one more time if you’re going to make the last train home.” 

Jinyoung nodded and forced a smile. “Right,” he agreed as he took a deep breath. One more time, that was it, and Jaebum wasn’t even here to see it. He tried to deny his disappointment as the music started for the last time. He tried to pretend this was just him singing the song the same way that he had every other time, but as the song began, his eyes closed and he could feel the song in a way that he’d only ever felt his audition song. He wasn’t just singing Jaebum’s words, he could feel the disappointment in them because right now, he was disappointed that Jaebum wasn’t here. 

When his eyes opened, he looked forward through the glass, but Jaebum still wasn’t there. He’d hoped, silently prayed even, that he’d open his eyes and see Jaebum there leaning against the soundboard like he had been before. Instead, there was only Hyunwoo’s smiling face looking back at him and telling him how wonderful of a job he’d done. Jinyoung forced another smile and left the studio, making small talk with Hyunwoo a few moments before he headed off to the train station. 

~~~

Jaebum opened the last file from Hyunwoo before he stepped through the doors and got on the train. He chose a spot in the back before hitting the play button on the last recording Jinyoung had done. He closed his eyes and turned up the volume to tune out the people around him. There was a slight hitch in Jinyoung’s voice towards the end, but other than that, it had been perfect. Even that hitch, he realized, made the song perfect. He listened to the song again as the train came to another stop. 

After the train moved forward, he got up from his place on the train and moved forward. He found who he was looking for in the fourth row, his gaze out into the darkness. Jaebum sat down and leaned his head against Jinyoung’s shoulder. 

“I’m not a weirdo,” Jaebum said. 

“Is that what you want me to know?” Jinyoung asked and Jaebum detected humor in his voice. 

“No,” Jaebum answered. “I want you to know you did wonderfully today. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to hear it.” 

“Then how do you know?” Jinyoung asked as Jaebum sat up. 

“Hyunwoo sent me the files as soon as you were done recording them. I’m sure they’ll sound better on something besides my phone, though. Why is it that the last recording you do for me is the one that turns out the best?” 

Jinyoung looked away from Jaebum to stare out the window. “I didn’t think I’d see you today and it was our last day and I was disappointed,” he muttered. “I think I finally allowed myself to put feeling into singing the words.” 

Jaebum smiled as he looked at Jinyoung facing away from him. “Jinyoung,” Jaebum said, his gaze glancing down only a moment as he took Jinyoung’s hand in his. “You’ll see me again so don’t be disappointed anymore, okay?”

Jinyoung turned back to him and Jaebum watched as Jinyoung looked down at their hands. He adjusted a little bit and then Jinyoung was leaning his head onto Jaebum’s shoulder.  
“I’m glad.”

**Author's Note:**

> During the course of this, I'm finding I rather enjoy writing snarky Jinyoung. Did you enjoy him, too? Hopefully, I'll be able to find some time in the future for more snarky Jinyoung! Maybe in the wild west!


End file.
